Reading are battling with the likes of Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United to avoid relegation from League One this season.

Former Blackpool full-back Leam Richardson has claimed he has learnt ‘nothing’ from his first six games in charge of the Tangerines’ League One relegation rivals Reading.

The former Wigan Athletic boss was named as Royals manager in October following the departure on Noel Hunt and kicked off his reign in difficult circumstances as his new side wasted a two-goal lead in a shock FA Cup first round defeat against National League club Carlisle United. However, a run of three games without a defeat followed as the Royals claimed seven points from home games with Stevenage and Rotherham before Kamari Doyle, Lewis Wing and Randell Williams all netted in a 3-0 win at Bloomfield Road.

The last ten days have proven to be a disappointment for Richardson after his side fell to a home defeat against Peterborough United and a loss at Bradford City that means only a superior goal difference is keeping the Royals out of the relegation zone ahead of Thursday night’s home clash with Luton Town. Ahead of the game, Richardson has reflected on the first six games of his managerial reign and urged his side to ‘learn every single day’ as they look to avoid relegation into League Two between now and the end of the season.

Speaking after Saturday’s defeat: “Honestly nothing, that’s not being flippant or anything else. I’ve been doing it a long time, I’ve got a lot of experience in the league. I don’t think Joel has made a save today but we’ve been on the end of a 2-0 loss but that’s the league at the minute. We have to have a team that is consistent with their performance, we need to carry goals. I’ve spoken about our fitness levels that we need to sustain during the game.

“We have got a lot of youthfulness and players who have come to Valley Parade for the first time. You can’t get away from that. 60%/70% of our players have never been here and have never played against the likes of the Bradford players but we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to sustain what we’re going to do, we’ve got to have a plan and we’ve got to learn every single day.”

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